Configuration and Implementation

The main objectives of a Planetary Data System (PDS) are to curate planetary data - that is to store and maintain complete planetary data sets and the necessary supporting documentation to make them useful - and to facilitate scientific study of these data through improved organization and access. A hardware system, no matter how sophisticated and supportive, cannot replace the live colleague interaction needed for good science.System users with only a general knowledge of a data file or data set will need guidance in determining whether that data is most appropriate to support a theory. The PDS is meant to allow easy access to data, to provide useful presentations of that data, and to facilitate data analysis; however it is not designed to supercede the critical examination and interactions that data analysis requires. The Planetary Data System will be a powerful research tool which allows the entire planetary science community access to a complete data and will facilitate the archiving of pass, current, and future mission data sets.